Funded by the
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Education, Safe
and Drug-Free Schools Program.

Issue/Question:Are there any statistics available on youth-initiated hate crimes?

Suggested Response:

In 1990, the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations reported that approximately one-third of all Los Angeles County schools had experiences with hate crimes. The Bureau of Justice Assistance reported that in 1994, young people under the age of 20 carried out nearly half of all hate crimes committed. According to the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the FBI, and other researchers, hate crime perpetrators are usually under the age of 26. These facts further underscore the importance of intervening with young children as early as possible.